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Lady Elkers dominate Smethport

Ridgway girls soccer had a dominant first half but only a 1-goal lead to show for it at halftime. The Lady Elkers then put the game out of reach with an even better second half. Ridgway scored three times in the second half and allowed one shot on goal through the entire game in a 4-0 win over Smethport Wednesday at Francis S. Grandinetti Elementary School. “They play, they play their hearts out,” Ridgway coach Greg Maddalena said. “They know and they believe in themselves that they can put teams away. We dominated every aspect of this game. It was 1-0 in the first half and we had a lot of opportunities in the first half, we just didn’t finish. I told the girls that it was their half in the second half. I knew it was going to come."Already leading 1-0 entering the second half, the Lady Elkers took control in the second half as Danie Jo Dwyer charged into the Smethport goalkeeper and was able to dislodge the ball from her and put it into the net for Ridgway’s second goal. Courtney Bush added a goal with 26:01 left for Ridgway and DeAngelo set up Fowler for her second goal as Ridgway led 4-0 with 22:28 left. “I had Danie Jo Dwyer score from midfield,” Maddalena said. “Rhianon scored twice, Courtney scored once. We’re trying to get more people involved in the scoring. It’s happening. I’m just really, really pleased with how our play is both offensively and defensively. I feel really confident this year.“The second half, we just shut them down,” Maddalena said. “We play a wide game, spread it wide, open up their defense and that gave us opportunities to score. I can’t ask for a better ending at 4-0.”Ridgway had its chances early in the game and had a pair of corner kicks in the ninth minute but could not crack the Smethport defense. A quick strike ultimately put the Elkers on the scoreboard. Angela DeAngelo fired a quick pass to Rhianon Fowler and Fowler buried the ball in the center of the net to put Ridgway ahead 1-0. The Lady Elkers kept pressuring and Smethport had its one and only shot of the game with nine seconds left as a shot was caught by Ridgway goalkeeper Ashley Imbrogno. “These girls believe in themselves,” Maddalena said. “It’s so fun to watch. They're so committed and they know what it takes. I just thought we played well all the way around. I’m just really proud of them, it was a great team victory.”Ridgway (2-0) hosts Curwensville Saturday afternoon in a game scheduled for 2 p.m.“We’re 2-0 right now going into a really tough test this Saturday against Curwensville,” Maddalena said. “We always play each other really well. I think that’s going to be a really good game up here.”